Day 352: 5 Gratitudes for Friday, 46

1. Quiet early mornings with my oldest daughter. She curls up on the couch (half-asleep) and I read to her. Currently we are reading, "No Doubt About It" by Sheri Dew. We are thinking about learning more about women in the scriptures because of Ms. Dew's book. But regardless of what we do, having that time - just my daughter and I - has been tremendous. I have seen a real positive change in our relationship (and in my daughter's attitude).

2. My inspired plan to give my oldest daughter "life classes" along with her regular studies. She is currently in charge of making either lunch or dinner each day. She craves to be seen as older (not a little kid like her siblings). Having her take on some of the adult responsibilities in the home has really bolstered her sense of "self-reliance" and independence.

3. My stolen minutes each day to listen some audios by Oliver DeMille (author of The Thomas Jefferson Education). I have read the book, but these audios give so  much more. I am really understanding my role as a mother/mentor/home schooler so much better. I am thankful that I have found a way to spend a few minutes each day furthering my own education/understanding.

4. Our daily Kung Fu work outs.... wow! It is hard. We don't always want to do it, yet I know I am working my muscles, plus learning these skills better. Again, I think  my oldest daughter really needed it. She takes her practice very seriously...she even gets to help me remember some of the sequences that I tend to do out of order.

5. Our families D&D game. Steve loves D&D (Dungeons & Dragons, a role-playing game). I enjoy D&D. The children enjoy it because it is just like a round-robin story, but with dice. We have all created characters and Steve is the GM (game master) so he runs the game (or gives the framework to the story). We have decided to do this at least once a week. Our current game has 3 possible mysteries to solve. It is a lot of fun - filled with a lot of laughter.

Happy Walking!